


What Winter Brings

by leporidae



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Guilt, Hope, Hurt/Comfort, Regret, Season/Series 03, Snow, Varianville Secret Santa 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:49:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21882637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leporidae/pseuds/leporidae
Summary: “If you’re hurting, please talk to me, Varian,” Rapunzel pleads, then adds more softly, “I promised you I’d listen from now on. I… I don’t want to push you away again. You’re my treasured friend.”
Relationships: Quirin & Varian (Disney), Rapunzel & Varian (Disney)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 218





	What Winter Brings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RosieBrie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosieBrie/gifts).

> I participated in the Varianville Secret Santa in the Tangled discord server this year for the first time which was a lot of fun (any excuse to write some new Tangled fic is welcome). This is my gift for [Rosie](https://rosiebrie.tumblr.com/) who said they liked the Rapunzel and Varian sibling dynamic, so I wanted to explore a little of that at the current place the series is at mid-Season 3, with a little snow for added seasonal relevance haha. I hope you enjoy it and have a good holiday season whatever you celebrate!

Old Corona doesn’t have much in the way of winter festivals. The prosperity of the town rides on its trade with Corona, and that becomes much more difficult during the frigid winter months where crops are scarcer. This year poses an extra challenge as the citizens struggle to restore the damage wrought on their home from the (now-vanquished) plague of black rocks.

Varian expects to spend this winter shoveling snow and tending to the fireplace — _gently,_ and without the use of _any _assistive chemicals, Quirin insists, to prevent any explosions. Though poking at firewood with a metal rod for hours on end while Ruddiger chatters beside him isn’t his idea of a perfect evening, it’s at least peaceful. And peace, Varian has learned over the past year, is always preferable to the alternative.

But when a letter arrives from Rapunzel herself, inviting Varian and his father to take part in Corona’s winter festivities, Quirin surprises him by not only accepting the invitation, but agreeing to tag along.

“Are you sure it’s okay to leave Old Corona right now?” Varian asks, stuffing his satchel with emergency tools and vials when his father isn’t looking. “We don’t — we don’t _have_ to go, Dad. And the people of Old Corona are counting on you. Are you sure it’s okay for you to just leave?”

“Princess Rapunzel is your friend, Varian,” Quirin says with a soft smile. “I think you should spend time with her. And no —” He interrupts Varian as soon as his mouth opens in protest. “I will _not_ let you travel to Corona alone in this weather.”

“But —”

“Varian,” Quirin says, stern but quiet. “Going off on your own in this weather is dangerous.”

The words hang heavy between them, so much of the past unspoken but tangible. 

“All right, Dad,” Varian says solemnly. “Thank you. And… thanks, for coming with me.”

Quirin smiles. For so long, Varian had feared he would never see that expression on the man’s face again.

* * *

Corona is blanketed with snow when they arrive, much less threatening than it had been the winter prior, but still enough to dredge up the remaining vestiges of Varian’s unease. Swallowing down the memories swirling around him with the snow, he dismounts from the caravan and waves to his father before heading off to the castle to greet Rapunzel.

The citizens of Corona smile at him — of course they do, in the of spirit holiday cheer — but it’s all very polite and a little strained. They can say they’ve fully forgiven Varian for his past misdeeds, but he knows better. Of course the doubt still lingers. Rebuilding trust is much harder than destroying it, after all.

Corona’s castle is open to the public today; outside there are children romping through the snow in the courtyard and giggling, and for a moment Varian almost wants to join them. But that’s ridiculous, he thinks with a shake of his head. He’s not a kid anymore.

_And yet…_

He bends down, patting a snowball into shape in his gloves.

“Varian? Is that you?”

With a surprised yelp, Varian drops the snow and wheels around to face Rapunzel. An amused smile spreads slowly across her lips, dimpled cheeks rosy from the cold. “No! I mean — yes, yes, it’s me. Varian. Me. …Hello, Rapunzel.”

“Glad you could make it,” Rapunzel says. “Were you really about to launch a surprise attack on those kids?” She gestures to the snowflakes still stuck to Varian’s gloves. “That’s playing dirty.”

“Was not,” Varian mutters, sounding every bit the petulant child he’d been telling himself he wasn’t, and Rapunzel laughs softly. No — it’s not just soft, it’s… lacking her usual cheer, somehow. Shaking off his momentary embarrassment, Varian looks up to face her. There’s a sad melancholy on Rapunzel’s face; Varian hopes it isn’t pity for _him._ “Are you okay?”

“Do you hate being here?” Rapunzel blurts, and Varian blinks. “In Corona, right now. I — I shouldn’t have made you come. All those memories, and — I’m sorry, Varian. Inviting you, when — oh, and you probably felt obligated to come, too. I’m so sorry!”

Apparently the implications of Varian’s visit had weighed on her after all. It would be dishonest to say that he wasn’t a bit uncomfortable spending this time of year in Corona. But Rapunzel already looks so lost and fragile. How could he bear unloading his burdens on her? “It’s nothing. It’ll — it’ll pass.”

“If you’re hurting, please talk to me, Varian,” Rapunzel pleads, then adds more softly, “I promised you I’d listen from now on. I… I don’t want to push you away again. You’re my treasured friend.”

She’s afraid of losing him, Varian realizes, just the same as Cassandra; afraid that he’ll turn his back on her promise of kindness and retreat back to that place of darkness he’d traversed once before. He can see it in her eyes, desperation and even a bit of fear. “It’s all right, Rapunzel,” Varian says quietly. “You’re my treasured friend, too. You always were, I — I was just too blinded by my own anger to see it.” With some hesitance he places a gloved hand on her shoulder, only belatedly remembering his hands are damp. “I won’t go back to that, Rapunzel. I’m on your side. I —” Varian swallows. “I promise.”

Relief blossoms across her face. “It’s silly of me to ask for you to reassure me like that when you already did so much to save Corona. It’s not that I don’t trust you, Varian, I just…”

“Cassandra,” Varian says quietly. Rapunzel flinches. “I know.”

They stand in silence for a while, the wind swirling the snowflakes before them like dancing ribbons. Rapunzel’s golden hair looks dull in the blue-gray light.

“You know, Eugene hates the snow,” Rapunzel says after a lull. It’s strained, as though she’d spoken those words to avoid saying something else instead. “I teased him for it back then, but now… I understand where he’s coming from. I can’t look at this snow without thinking of almost losing my parents. Pascal. And — and you.”

Varian shivers. “Can’t say it really puts me in the best of moods either.” To Varian snow is a reminder of the frigid wilderness to which he’d been banished when Corona abandoned him; he had stumbled through the raging storm with only his determination pushing his numbed body forward and discovered his fully catatonic father at the end of the unforgiving blizzard. The cold swirling around him now dredges up the dark pit of unease he’d tried so hard to banish. 

Suddenly, beside him, there’s warmth.

Rapunzel is leaning up against him, and Varian isn’t used to affection, isn’t used to even being trusted. He almost moves away in his confusion, but — Rapunzel is shaking, and it’s definitely not a result of the cold. So Varian remains in place, letting her stay close, and thinks of all the pain he must have caused her with his outbursts in the past. The guilt is almost unbearable.

“Varian,” Rapunzel says, meekly. “Do you think I’m — I’m a bad person? A selfish person?”

With disbelief he turns to look at the nervous face pressed up against him. “You are one of the least selfish people I know, Rapunzel.” _Much less so than I am. _“You’re always doing stuff for other people.”

“But I push them away anyway,” Rapunzel whispers. “Maybe I don’t — don’t deserve my friendships. I —”

“Hey, Rapunzel?”

A nod.

“You love Cassandra, right?”

She nods miserably.

“Then you’ll get through to her eventually,” Varian assures her, patting Rapunzel on the shoulders. “Whatever she’s going through, um, probably isn’t really your fault. You’re too kind… you’re an easy person to take anger out on.” It’s painful to admit it, and he feels Rapunzel flinch. “I did the same thing, and I rejected you no matter how much you tried to help me. But deep down I just… wanted to be friends again.” How childish, Varian thinks. _Making it about me again. And admitting how foolish I was._ “I think — I think Cassandra will realize how much you care. I have faith in her, Rapunzel. And in you.”

She sniffles, leaning away to face him with a wobbly smile. “You’re right, Varian. And Cass… Cass _will_ come around. Even if she’s hurting now, she’ll come around. I should have faith in her too. She’s my best friend, after all.” Determination has replaced her despondency; now Rapunzel almost looks back to her usual fiery self. “I _can’t _give up on her. Not ever.”

“That’s what makes you special,” Varian murmurs. “You never give up on the people you care about —”

In that moment the wind is knocked from his lungs as Rapunzel pulls him into a tight hug. “Thanks for listening to me, Varian.”

“U-um — any time,” he squeaks out, a bit strained from the force of her embrace. (Has Rapunzel always been this _strong?_)

“You’re a good friend, you know that?”

_Me? A good friend?_

The words hit him with all the force of a slap to the face, and Varian inhales sharply. He looks at Rapunzel’s face, _really _looks at her, at that sincere smile and the strength of the sun in her eyes; not for the first time he wonders what he’d done to deserve the unyielding faith of someone so radiant.

From now on, all he can do is make sure that faith isn’t misplaced.

“You too, Rapunzel,” Varian says.

And then softer, breathlessly: “Thank you.”


End file.
